black thought

the illest MC ever.

Upcoming Week 10/18-24

5ivebruhs fans...Hope you had a great week. The Team just hit me up with the posts for this week. Im actually really excited about this week...Should be a good one.

Monday "Bitches with Knives"
by Bob George (with his "poast")
Tuesday "What's Wrong w/ Hooters"
by The Nerd (debut....bitches)
Wednesday "Hookup Woes"
by Jonny Casanova
Thursday "Adventures of a Big Nig"
by The P!ed P!per
Friday "Curves"
by The Cuban (Welcome back homie)


And remember....You can FOLLOW US @5ivebruhs on twitter.... and you can be a FAN on Facebook here.

New Underground: The Indie Rock Revolution

Hip-hop is pop culture. Hip-hop is on top. Hip-hop right now…sucks. Now, now don’t bit my head off. The deluded, auto-tune induced garbage that whines of the radio can not possibly be considered good music. I have seen many music scholars and fans (myself included) trying to justify what is occurring in hip-hop. Unfortunately the more we desire to help hip-hop, the more niggas seem to want to take the easy way out and throw it back in our face.

Hip-hop may have forgotten its underground roots, but American music hasn’t. Despite popular belief, American music is not born by the popular and the rich. Like the Blues, Jazz, Rock, Funk, etc. America’s musical genres develop in an artistic crucible that has been dubbed by my generation as the underground. This section seems to elude the penetration of the pop regime, and it is here that we see the machinations of new and exciting art forms. This is were hip-hop was created, and this is were the next great art form will be found.

Instead of lamenting the slow, painful death of hip-hop, I have embraced it and have become very excited about what is happening in Music. This is only my opinion, but I believe the next wave of music is coming from the “indie rock” scene.

Indie Rock, for those not familiar, is less a genre of music and more a movement. It represents independent bands that have stretched from the punk era, all the way to the 2000s. I was first introduced to the term with the Movie Garden State, which features an entire indie band soundtrack. The most important thing to me was that it was refreshing. It was so fucking refreshing. Yes very corny at times, some times a little haunting, but god it was different.

The amazing thing about Indie Rock is the rampant experimentation. Indie Bands do not have to answer to anyone but their fans, so the desire to experiment and find their own unique voices has an almost fervor like quality to them. I love listening to a band change dramatically from one genre to the next, and consequently reinventing what that means. These bands make no qualms about not fitting into a box, and continually jump across them.

Music is a living thing, and it is constantly growing and evolving. That is what I search for when I listen to music. I search for music that grows, that moves, that challenges my perceptions and tantalizes my emotions. When a band reaches the level of Pop, they have reached a zenith. Their only drive at that point is to stay at that level. The hunger is gone, replaced is desperation. Art is created and formed at the lowest level, striving to find an audience, hungry and passionate for expression and human connection. That is the art I love the best.

The Garden State, My introduction to the concept know as Indie rock.

Spirituality in the Black Home

Disclaimer: I was afraid to write about this topic b/c some of my past topics and future topics, but this is another aspect of me so read on.  Also, tell me I'm not the only one that had this poster in their room growing up!

So I was sitting in church on Sunday when I get a text message from Jonny Casanova asking me what my article title would be this week. I sat and I pondered for about twenty seconds then forgot all about picking a topic. Why? Because I became heavily engrossed in the song that was being played in church. If you’ve been to a black church, you know what I’m talking about. It’s like the club for black Christians. Like if you’re in the club with a drink in your hand and they play your favorite song. You look around and a few more people are letting go some of their inhibitions as they sway with their cranberry and vodka. You then feel like this is YOUR song, and that YOU must dance and let everyone know that you’re not playing games when you say you love this song. That’s what church does to black people. (And I can only speak for black people)

I sat there and began to clap my hands and pat my foot a little bit. Then next to me, on the other side of my brother there were four little kids, 3 girls and a boy, that were banging their tambourines, creating variations of the beat that the drummer was orchestrating. Three and four year olds on the off-beat, adding to the musical aroma in the church still astonishes me. Then people begin to harmonize and sing a song that they might know and might not, I did not. But you catch the words and you begin to sing your range, tenor is mine even if it’s not that good. And before you know you’re standing and singing and dancing. I look over and my grandmother is smiling up at me, teeth shining, and I look into the pulpit and the pastor’s wife makes eye contact with me and nods smiling and I do the same. I know now that I will be getting hands laid on me later in the service because she noticed I’m in town. And I look forward to this.

I then pick up my phone and text Jonny the name of this article.

For me and for many black people in America, church seems to be a place where you can enjoy yourself and make your way closer to heaven at the same time. It’s a win win. The only thing that kinda makes me feel some loss is that we start at 10am and don’t finish til about 2pm… on a good day and I have to miss my Giants play. Church is a release and provides many of us with our sense of spirituality. Being raised in a church has shaped me in many of my morals and values, whether I express them outwardly everyday or not. I guess I’m at fault there, but I think we all do it. College has been the most recent catalyst behind this.

Every day I find myself asking the Lord to forgive me of my sins, those of omission and those of commission. I know we all know we can do better, but hey we’re only human and the Lord knows that we are weak.

Spirituality surrounds me in every aspect of my life. Like last weekend I awake from this CRAZY dream. Like I’m talking about calling Bill Clinton on a cell phone while running for the DC metro in New York through a high school and through some broken levies crazy, all after my Trailblazer transformed into the caboose of a train. I joking told my mom about the dream at breakfast, and you know what she did? She smiled and says, “That’s my confirmation from the Lord. God is trying to tell you that… and she went on and on.” I for one do not see how in the world any of that has to do with God telling me anything, but I listen and take it in. This goes to show that black Christians translate any and EVERYTHING into a spiritual thing. Has shaped my life.

I’ve done some wrong in my life, and to overcome all of it I went to God. I remember a time in my life where I put all of my Christian music on a playlist and listened to that every day on my way anywhere and looked up for no one who may pass by. It was my alone time with the Lord and re-concentrating my life on what it should be. This gave me peace like no other. You may be agnostic or atheist or any other form of religious follower, even scientology, but I know that I was granted a peace like nothing before. If religion is no more than that, then I’m happy because I know I wouldn’t have gotten it any other way. This is probably due to the fact that in the black Christian household the Lord is ALWAYS in control and when I felt like all was lost, I figure it’s done for a reason.

In my church, people go to the front to have hands laid on them and prayer interceded on their behalf. These people, me included, go up front hands raised and allow the pastor to touch us and we seem to lose control once again, saying to me that God is really in control. Some people don’t even have to be touched, just getting close or feeling the breath of the pastor can send them into a frenzy of anything from sprinting and thrashing children who are in the aisles who shoulda been paying attention, to kneeling and sobbing for 15 minutes. It’s all what the Lord wants to do and black Christians are all for it.

On another note, nothing burns me up more than hypocrites of religion, especially black ones. I’m Christian but do I adhere to all the guidelines 24/7? Absolutely not. But when Al Sharpton starts talking, I have to turn the channel. And when Jeremiah Wright opened his mouth and about shot opportunity in the face, I cringed. I don’t profess to be holier than thou, but when figure heads become extreme it’s mad upsetting. They can make people who may not be so deeply rooted in it extract themselves even further. Check out Pastor Kerney Thomas….. GAWWWD WILL HEAL YOU! Man shut up! He’s a hoax. Watch this video…

I don’t really know where I wanted to go with this article other than express my fondness for the black Christian culture and thank it for shaping me, even through all the dirt that I do. I’m appreciative of influence it has had on my parents and the fact that they raised me the way that they did. The Lord is at the helm in my life and has great plans for the P!per. Lol. YESSIR!

L’Chaim… P!ed P!per

The Road to Free Thinking

Im a registered Republican. Dont kill me yet...I voted Obama I promise...Read on...

Its not my fault...I was influenced by my surroundings. Namely, my father. My father is a proud black republican a rare breed of human being. The black republican is like being an underdog for no reason...people dont pity you... defeats the purpose of being an underdog. When your a Black Republican, Black people dont wanna hear shit youve got to say about politics and if they are "very liberal" than the word Republican yields almost as much hate as the "N" word. This was a point of strife in my family because my mother NEVER talked politics. Her reasoning was :"you're not gonna change anyones opinion everyones just gonna get mad and go to bed heated". I later found out that she was a liberal Democrat. I should have picked up on the clues. She would always call Rush Limbaugh a crackhead (based on his past drug habits) everytime my dad would cite his radio show as some reference for why conservative politics is the only logical way to go. My Dad would respond quickly with " it wasnt crack it was meth amphetamines"...Nice save Dad... Anyway my dad inundated me with information about the Republican party and its practical ideals and how it was pro life and against gay marriage and all of that, yet every once in awhile he would say "But son I always want you to think for yourself." (he never knew how powerful that statement would be...backfired on his ass) And the biggest argument against the Democrats was Bill Clintons infidelity which us Christians do NOT like.
**side note** (This was at a time when religion was a SERIOUS part of our family...my mom wouldnt even let me watch pokemon cuz she sed it was demonic...Thank GOD...no pun... those days are over)

This was confusing to me because on the one hand he was telling me all the great things about one side without explaining anything about the other...being completely subjective and subsequently crippling a young persons (my) thought process. Looking back on it I realize what the attraction of being a black republican was for me. It was/is my obsession with the unconventional, my unyielding support for the underdog and those who take the road less travelled. This was so appealling to me and still is. I thought that if i knew more than the next black person enough to support my culturally unpopular politcal views than "I win". Almost as if it was a game, I would prey on the less politically knowledgeable "liberal" young blacks and beat the shit out them in debate after debate, building my confidence with every victory. I was something that I enjoyed so much, I couldnt wait to register. Check my box as a Republican and say fuck the conventional world. Then something happened...in 2001 a man that my father would big up in our houshold to no end joined the list of American presidents. His name, George Dubya. This man is someone who I credit with changing my mind about politics, political partys, Republican and Democratic ideals...everything.

Without me getting into a long repetitive and cliche' segment about how dumb the man is...ill say this, he was the first Republican I was able to observe during his entire term and I was not only unimpressed but disgusted. This was something that I could not be apart of. I was embarrassed. I was no longer proud of my unconventionally "cool" perspective. I felt that my father kinda tricked me. I was wondering how such an intelligent man ( my father) could still support such an idiot without even acknowledging his mistakes. I realized how narrow minded I had been. My arguments sounded great. They were well articulated and made sense to the common listener but were they right? Not so much, I came to realize. This was a major shift in me. It caused me to take the blinders off and really take a look at what I personally believed in and not what people were trying to force me to believe. I was liberated but not really "liberal". Now going on the Black Democrats out there. Some of you guys were tricked just like me as a kid. Your family and your familys family have been your influence and thats perfectly fine, and some of you truly are liberal which would make your decision to vote Obama a very appropriate one. But... I must say there is quite a bit of hypocrisy within black politics. We historically, for about 40 years have been voting Democrat. Yet most Bible belt/ and old school blacks believe strongly in Pro Life and the opposition of gay marriage 2 things that the Democrats fight extra hard to enact wherever it hasnt already. They vote soley based on "black issues" which they are convinced will be overlooked under Republican rule...i cant say I blame you all about that other than the fact that if you really look at it...has any president really taken a strong enough interest in our issues to warrant full support? I would venture to say no based on how things are and have been for black people even under Clinton. This was another arguement that contributed to my free thinking. I couldnt help but ask myself how many Democrats and Republicans in office truly struggle with an aspect of their party beliefs yet hypocritically vote for what they truly do not and never have believed in? Ill answer that, most likely 100%

I believe that we should do away with political parties all together, i mean i see the point...but not everyones gonna have an epiphany like I did and thats what scares me. You should vote for the guy or girl who has a much of your interests at heart. For me, this time around it happened to be Obama. Honestly I liked Biden better but whatever. I took a poll the other month, one of those"what party do you belong to" type of things I ended square in the middle hinting slightly conservative and thats the way I like it. I have my own views about things that have been shaped from life experiences moral convictions and compassion for humanity. I am a registered Republican but to me that means nothing at all. No one can put me in a box and tell me how to vote or think. I like to think of myself a proud member of the Jonny Casanova party...I vote and think how I want...


....Bitches.

PS Two guys I would beat the shit out of on National Beat-The-Shit-Out-Of-Two-Guys Day Would be these two pushers of propaganda...

Glen Beck---->

< ----Poppa Bear Bill O'Reilly

a trip down memory lane

today's topic: a trip down memory lane

if you are a consistent reader of 5ivebruhs, you know i have a soft spot in my heart for the 90's. the most important years in my life occurred during the 90's, mainly because it shaped my personality...in particular '94-'95... before i continue, understand that everyone is influenced by pop culture. whether it is a dominant force in your life or something you passively enjoy, i believe all people are influenced by pop culture. most of the influence occurs during your childhood. it is the starting factor in shaping your preferences for music, movies, and etc...during this two year span, most of my influence came directly from movies. i think this is why i'm a visual learner instead of aural. these four movies shaped my personality. they have made me the humor-loving, non-tear duct having, perpetual thinking man today...these movies from 94-95, represent me. without further ado, here are bob george's fantastic four movies of his childhood.

4. little giants (1994): cult classic. becky o'shea was honestly the first white girl i had a crush on. i vividly remember seeing this film in park terrace movie theater in charlotte, nc. my sister and i were enamored with this picture, for different reasons. i was intrigued at why danny o'shea was so hell-bent on beating his brother with his team of rejects. i hate seeing losers receive moral support, shit is annoying. my sister, the athlete, loved the idea of being good enough to compete with "the guys." when it came out on vhs, my entire family watched this movie. it was a great family moment we all enjoyed, everytime we watched... however, this movie was bigger than my household. i didn't understand how cool this film was until i went to college, and listened to people reminisce about little giants. i felt cool...because this was the first thing, outside of church or something gospel related, my family all enjoyed, it represents a happy memory for me and i love hearing about people who had the same experience with this movie.

3. toy story (1995): when i saw toy story, it was like i gunned the delorean to 88 and saw the future. toy story was mind-blowing at the time. animation = incredible. soundtrack = impressive. tom hanks = funny. buzz lightyear = asshole. everything about this movie was funny. mainly because the toys were all in on this inside joke of being able to talk to each other, and andy never knew. this made me wonder about my toys. i honestly thought my hot wheels and legos were arguing with each other about which toys i played with more. call me lame, but i'm almost positive i wasn't alone... this movie introduced me to haters. woody was a hater. he almost got buzz lightyear killed over his own insecurities....i also credit toy story for being the first movie with a storyline i could relate to. instead of being the new toy, my analogy was someone being the new "cool kid", and having everyone flock to them instead of being interested in what was going on in my life. this movie helped me get over a lot of my own insecurities at an early age, and allowed me to let things be as they may....randy newman's soundtrack to the film was on repeat in my head while i played with my toys for the winter 1996.

2. the lion king (1994). greensboro, nc. 1994. my mom's college roommate took me, my "play-cousin" john, my sister, and her neighbor's son rodney to the movies to see the lion king. the theater was packed. before we arrived, i had not seen a commercial nor knew anything about the film. i was curious as to why all these kids had on simba hats, mufasa slurpies, and whatnot.....but.....man, what a movie. the lion king holds the distinction of being the only movie i cried on while watching. it was so inspirational....simba sees his father die, believes the lies from his uncle scar, becomes reclusive and retreats to a life of "no worries"....he reconnects with his homie lover friend © r. kellz, and he becomes inspired after she fucks him and informs simba on the status of pride land. simba arrives. ready to take on the foolishness, avenge his father's death, and reclaim his spot on the throne.....it had everything. love story. humor. the spirit of winning… i understood this movie more and more as years passed. when i saw my father almost pass away, i understood why simba retreated out of fear and him needing a break from dealing with the ordeal. after crying in the movie theater and experiencing the situation with my dad, it put many things into perspective for me. as a result, nothing has evoked that emotion from me since then. it isn't anything that i am hiding, it just is not there.... people often ask why i am not emotional or seemingly "not emotional"...this is why.

1. houseguest (1995). CLASSIC MATERIAL. this movie made me the cynical person i am today....in constant search of the perfect joke. in my opinion, this is sinbad's high mark in his comedy career. he is so....witty. quick humor. i understood this at age 9. don't ask why....for me, this movie represents how funny i wish i could be. in my opinion, i'm mildly funny. i don't tell great jokes, but i'm good for a quick remark when commenting on something. i think this movie is the reason for that.

shoutout to Kinard & Lauren....congrats 1nce again on the marriage.

?uestlove of the Legendary Roots Crew

the roots festival of june '09...i almost wrestled a perfect stranger over an autographed ?uesto drumstick.....needless to say, i'm a fan...better yet, a stan. enjoy.

Upcoming Articles...

5ivebruhs fans...Hope you had a great week. The Team just hit me up with the posts for this week. Im actually really excited about this week...Should be a good one.

Monday "Memory Lane"
by Bob George (with his "poast")
Tuesday "Random"
by Dead Mike
Wednesday "The Road to Free Thinking"
by Jonny Casanova
Thursday "Spiritual Life in the Black Home"
by The P!ed P!per
Friday "The New Underground: Indie Rock"
by The Cuban (Welcome back homie)


And remember....You can FOLLOW US @5ivebruhs on twitter.... and you can be a FAN on Facebook here.